BBC Proms 2015
8pm, BBC2

Katie Derham and Tom Service introduce the first of this year’s Proms concerts from the Royal Albert Hall. This is the 150th anniversary of the birth of two great Scandinavian composers: Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius. By way of birthday gifts, the programme features Nielsen’s Maskarade and Sibelius’s Belshazzar’s Feast, along with William Walton’s version of the latter, a world premiere of new work by British composer Gary Carpenter, and German pianist Lars Vogt taking the solo on Mozart’s Concerto No 20 in D Minor. Andrew Mueller

20 Moments That Rocked Talent Shows
9pm, Channel 5

Are One Direction Louis Walsh’s greatest gift to humanity? Does Will Young’s Pop Idol triumph still bring a tear to your eye? Can the mere mention of Darius Danesh make you giggle? If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, this is almost certainly the throwback talent compendium for you. Along with clips, it features contributions from contestants and judges, including Fame Academy’s Richard Park and Nina Myskow of New Faces. Hannah J Davies

Rock’n’Roll America
9pm, BBC4

It’s 1959: with Elvis in the army and Little Richard stuck in a hymn book, could Buddy Holly save the soul of rock’n’roll? It looked likely until the terrible plane crash that ended his life. The final part of this cracking little documentary series sees the arrival of Roy Orbison (no pretty boy, but he could sing everybody else into the ground), surf-pop, Motown, and the evolution of producer-stars such as the “Wagnerian” Phil Spector. And then four lads from Liverpool moved the goalposts for ever. HJD

Artsnight
11pm, BBC2

In the age of the smartphone, just about everyone carries a camera, and photography has become devalued – or has it? Journalist Samira Ahmed considers the impact that a single image can have, even in a digital age of plenty. The snappers featured include Giles Duley, who lost three of his limbs on assignment in Afghanistan; Turner nominee Richard Billingham, who has documented the lives of his parents; and Vanley Burke, whose recurring subject is the black British experience. Plus Martin Parr crafts a new work for the show. Jonathan Wright

Josh Widdicombe: And Another Thing
11.05pm, Channel 4

Russet-haired observer of the small and irritating, and permanent fixture on The Last Leg sofa, Widdicombe is filmed here performing his 2013 stand-up show at Hammersmith Apollo. Targets for his ire include people who make their own jam, the confusing ceremony of tea-making, and the behaviour of humans at hotel breakfast buffets. A breakfast-heavy set for sure, but he makes the art of standup look easy, switching from written material to lively audience chat with almost zero friction. Julia Raeside

Bored to Death
12.55am, Sky Atlantic

The third series of Jonathan Ames’s sitcom, starring Jason Schwartzman as a fictional version of the author, begins with his father revealing that he is sterile and that Ames derived from a sperm bank. Meanwhile, George (Ted Danson) gets to spend time with his own biological son after his lesbian parents split and Ray (Zach Galifianakis) is deflated when he meets his daughter’s new boyfriend. Elegant fare, with a Raymond Chandler-esque noir dimension thrown in, but a little light on gags. David Stubbs

The Saboteurs
9pm, More4

Penultimate episode of the Norwegian war saga starring Anna Friel and Espen Klouman Høiner. The Americans take matters into their own hands tonight when they hear the enemy is preparing to rebuild its hydrogen bomb-making facility, but they miss their mark and only worsen the situation. Meanwhile, the allies’ only hope at scuppering the Germans now is to target a convoy taking the vital equipment to a new factory site in the fatherland. Any history buff knows how this ends, but it’s still a tense ride. JR

Film choice:

Gladiator
(Ridley Scott, 2000) 10.40pm, ITV

“Are you not entertained?” roars Russell Crowe’s gladiator after carving up a bunch of adversaries in the arena, and we certainly are. Scott’s stunning computer-generated recreation of imperial Rome reinvented a dormant genre: it’s a full-blooded epic, full of fiery war and crunching combat, but pumped up with political intrigue and undying love, too. Crowe’s Maximus is a rock-solid hero, matched by Joaquin Phoenix as the ruthless but needy emperor Commodus. Paul Howlett

Today’s best live sport

International Rugby Union: New Zealand v Argentina Opening match in the 2015 Rugby Championship. 8am, Sky Sports 1

Golf: The Open Championship Second-round coverage from St Andrews. 9am, BBC2

International Test Cricket: England v Australia The second Ashes Test between the sides continues. 10am, Sky Sports Ashes

Cycling: Tour de France A 198.5km journey from Muret to Rodez makes up stage 13 of the race. 2pm, ITV4